DS9 S02E03

In this installment:
(viewed Wednesday, July 9th)

Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine, S02E03 - "The Siege"

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"The Siege"

• This is the conclusion of the three-episode arc that opened DS9's second season, involving political tensions on Bajor and an underground extremist group called "The Circle".  It is, in my opinion, one of the more interesting story arcs of the pre-Dominion era on the show.
  
  (For my commentary on the first two-thirds, which I watched yesterday, scroll down or click here.)
• One of the things that set DS9 apart from TOS and TNG, for me and a lot of other Trekkies, was that its characters weren't perfect people living in a perfect utopia.  The commanding officer characters of the various Star Trek series (I would say "the captains", but Sisko ain't there yet) have never been shy about breaking the rules when they needed to, but Cmdr. Sisko seems to positively revel in it.
  
  That tendency, and how it manifests itself in situations like the opening of this episode (where he opts to defy orders to evacuate and stay behind and delay the Circle's takeover of the station long enough to expose the Cardassians' involvement), is one of the reasons that I love the character so much and consider him to be my favorite of all of "The Captains" (even if Avery Brooks is a wing-nut and master scenery-chewer).
• "Rom, do you actually believe I would sacrifice my own brother's life...for personal profit?"
  
  {Rom shakes head "yes"}
• The pre-evacuation exchange between Keiko and Miles O'Brien reminds me of two things:
• In an unfortunate stereotype (I blame the writers), Keiko is the very epitome of a spouse who literally does not understand what her partner does or why they can't simply leave their posts to be with their family.  He's a walking, talking, synthale-swilling, starship-fixing, Cardassian-killing bad-ass, Keiko.  Get used to it.
• Also, when O'Brien says "Cardies" it's just about the most adorable racism I've ever heard.
•  An old, beat-up, mothballed Bajoran sub-impulse raider is totally a suitable substitute for a state-of-the-art Starfleet runabout!
  
  
  
  (image from the Star Trek Fact Files, courtesy of Ex Astris Scientia)
• "Tobin?  I don't think I've heard about this one."
  
  "My second host.  Barely a sex life and no imagination, but he new phase coil inverters like no one else."
  
  I think I know a lot of Tobin Daxes in real life.
• "I'll miss you, Quark."
  
  "You said it!"
  
  "I'll miss the aggravation, the petty theft, the bad manners..."
  
  "Odo!  Take care of yourself."
• Li Nalas is kind of awesome.  I would've liked to see him hang around longer.
• Colonel Day Kannu, one of the Bajoran Militia officers who takes control of Deep Space 9 along with General Krim is played by Steven Weber, who most of us recognize better from his role as Joe on the highly underrated sitcom Wings.
  
  Also:  Wings is available on Netflix streaming, apparently.  You're welcome.
• "Whoah!  Was that a spider or a dog?"
  
  "Palukoo.  The Bajoran moons are full of them."
  
  "I suppose you used to make them your pets and sing songs about them around the campfire."
  
  "No.  We used to eat 'em."
  
  
  
• "Scan the Operations Center for organic material."
  
  "Organic?"
  
  "The station's security chief is apparently missing...a shapeshifter.  It's possible he left with the evacuation ships, or perhaps there's something more here than meets the eye."
  
  FINALLY, SOMEONE GETS IT.
• Ah, the baseball.  Sisko's never really gone if he leaves his baseball behind.
• "Combat rations, Chief?  Couldn't you have replicated something a little more palatable?"
  
  "You don't like combat rations?"
  
  "A French onion soup would've really been nice."
  
  "Miracle of science, these little combat rations:  Time-released formula of all the nutrients the body needs for three days.  I love 'em.  The only thing I miss about the Cardassian front."
  
  "Sisko to all units:  You can thank Chief of Operations Miles O'Brien for your repast this afternoon."
• "Navigational sensors aren't functioning."
  
  "No problem."
  
  "No problem?  Big problem.  Without navigational sensors..."
  
  "...we'll have to fly by the seat of our pants."
  
  "Great!  Seat-of-the-pants technology."
• Never underestimate the distracting utility of a holosuite/holodeck in a fight.  Just ask Jean-Luc Picard.
• 31st Rule of Acquisition:  "Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother."
• "I'm off the hook after all..."
  
  And...the great hero has to die at the end, of course.  It's a bit cliché, but compelling nonetheless.  A good end to a pretty decent season opener.
• "Major, there are heroes all over Bajor.  I'm sitting with one."